Camping at Mystery Beach 神秘沙灘: Mystery Beach Sea Cave and Waterfall

 

There are numerous shallow caves along this beach in Yilan but the destination of many visitors is the large Mystery Beach Sea Cave. It is on an isolated stretch of beach, near a waterfall that spills right onto the sand. It's an ideal spot for camping overnight in the shadow of looming cliffs and watching the moon come up over the ocean. The cave and waterfall are a two hour walk from Nan'ao train station along country lanes and the rugged beach. On this trip I also visited the Dongyue cold spring 東岳湧泉 and Dong'ao Bay.

Distance/Time:  4 hours 15 mins/ 16 km. But of course since I camped overnight, I walked 8 km the first day and 8 km the second day. More information as well as a map can be found here and here 

What to bring:  I took my tent, sleeping pad, stove, food to cook etc...It was hot so I did not take a sleeping bag. Sun protection is important for walking on the beach. I did not take much water since there is fresh water at the waterfall which I boiled before drinking. 

There is fresh water at the waterfall which flows right onto the beach.

 

Footwear is kind of a challenge. Walking on a beach sounds nice but actually it's not that easy. The first time I went to this spot, I wore hiking boots but they didn't really seem suitable. With sandals the grit from the sand gets into them and rubs against your feet and can become painful. 

This time I took Chacos sandals and wore a good pair of socks to protect from chafing from the sand and that worked out well. Something with a sturdy sole is important because some areas of stone and gravel are very rough. Once I was in camp, bare feet was the best option. 

The Trail:  It took about an hour to walk from Nan'ao train station to the beach and roughly another hour along the beach to the cave and waterfall. I've visited Nan'ao many times and love wandering around the country lanes. There is a broad, flat valley filled with a patchwork of farms and irrigation channels with green mountains in the distance. 

Walking along the stark beach is a completely different hiking experience. Of course, there aren't any trees and very little vegetation at all except on the cliffs above. Just sand and stone and piles of wrack and driftwood--and sea and coast as far as you can see. 

There isn't really a trail but some people drive off-road vehicles to the cave or come here to fish or collect wood and have left a compacted area where walking is a little easier. When I arrived around sunset there were still a few people on the beach but most people were heading back. There were some men and boys fishing who also stayed overnight but I camped around a bend where I could not see their lights. 

I read that beach buggies are now prohibited here because groups of them zooming around disturb habitat for the little tern, kentish plover and the greater crested tern.

Be aware of safety when visiting.The chance of anything happening is very small but it pays to minimize risk.

Only go when the weather is stable and there are no tropical storms in the area. Before I went I checked the weather forecast and the tide tables. I have heard in the news of at least two groups that got into trouble here. In 2018, five people died. They were riding beach buggies when they were hit by a rogue wave and swept out to sea. Another group ignored the warnings of locals during rough weather, were trapped in the sea cave by rising waves and had to be rescued. A sign posted on the beach says that rogue waves can occur frequently.

Swimming in the ocean here is really not recommended. I have visited several times and I don't think that I have ever seen locals swimming. Signs say that there is a steep sea coast which causes a dangerous backwash of water rushing back into the ocean and that rip tides are frequent.

Be aware of the possibility of rockfalls. I have heard that you should not camp inside sea caves because of the risk of rocks falling. Also, even though the chance is probably very low, I avoided camping near where there had obviously been rocks falling from the cliff above. Likewise you can see by channels in the sand where water flows down from the cliff when it rains. I didn't camp near any of those places not wanting to wake up in a puddle--or worse---if it started raining.

Transportation: I took a Kamalan bus from Taipei Main Station to Luodong in Yilan. The buses leave about every 10 minutes. They also stop to pick up passengers at Kamalan's Technology Building location. The bus makes one stop outside of Luodong and then about ten minutes later arrives at Luodong station which is across from the train station.  It takes about an hour and a half and costs $143. 

From Luodong I caught a local train. I got off in Dong'ao and spent some time there before getting on another local train to Nan'ao. The travel time from Luodong to Nan'ao is little less than thirty minutes. 

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The trip:  

I went during Moon Festival weekend and even though it was almost October it was still hotter than the hinges of hell. So rather than getting to camp too early and sitting in the sun, I first made a stop in Dong'ao to visit the Dongyue cold spring. 

I exited Dong'ao train station, walked out to the main road and turned left. I went to the first convenience store (I think it was a Hi-Life) and bought a beer. I had about 2 hours and fifteen minutes until the next train to Nan'ao so I decided to walk to Dong'ao Bay first. 

At the convenience store I turned right onto Dong'ao Road and followed it for about 17 minutes to the bay. When the road split, I went right over a bridge and after the bridge came to the bay. There is a nice crescent-shaped gravel beach.

I then walked back to the main road and turned right again. After passing a school, I took the next lane on the left. This lane goes straight for a while then curves to the right and comes to the cold spring entrance in about 600 meters. There is a parking lot across from the gate. 

At the entrance I talked briefly to a man who had come by motorcycle. He asked me where I was from and told me he had a son studying in the US. I passed toilets and a row of vendors selling snacks and water toys.

The cold spring, at the end of a short path, is next to the elevated railway. There is a shallow rectangular pool of cool water.  It's a popular spot for families with children to swim and cool off. 

Dongyue cold spring

I soaked in the water and then sat with my feet in the water. It got cloudy and there was a nice breeze. There was a girl playing with a golden retriever. Every time the dog paddled close to her she shrieked happily in mock terror, then the dog would go away only to be back a few minutes later.

At 14:44 I caught a local train to Nan'ao which arrived just six minutes later at 14:50. After stopping at a convenience store for a snack and beers for later, I was on the way. I started walking at 3:20.

Looking to the right from Nan'ao station there is a bridge. I passed to the right of the bridge (not over it) and then went right and through a tunnel under the railway. 

On the other side of the tunnel I bore left and walked along a stream encased in concrete.

At Nan'ao Nan Lu (Nan'ao South Road) I turned right again. 

There were a couple of turns but I stayed on Nan'ao Nan Lu basically always heading south. It was very easy to find the way even without consulting the map on my phone. 

Eventually the road straightened out leading through a beautiful valley and over a bridge which spans the Nan'ao River. 

At the end of the bridge there is a T-junction. The right turn leads to Nan'Ao Farm which is a big campground where I have stayed several times. But this time I turned left heading downhill. There was a cluster of houses and a temple on the right. 

 At the next intersection I unexpectedly came to a huge ditch filled with hundreds of peeping ducklings. Probably future Beijing roast duck or ginger duck. 

I turned right now heading south again. I passed through an area with aquaculture farms on both sides, the road narrowed and then I reached the beach entrance on the left. 

I had walked for roughly one hour on the road and had about another hour to walk on the beach to where I planned to camp.

There is not much to say about walking along the beach except that it is absolutely stunning. It is sometimes sandy and sometimes rough and stony. I was surprised by the amount of driftwood washed up on the shore. The tide was rising. High tide was due around 5:30 pm.

 I passed several shallow sea caves but did not stop to explore most of them. 

Several small sea caves are visible in this photo

hiking on the beach

I got to the waterfall and cave just before sunset, looked around, selected a campsite between the cave and the waterfall, and by the time my tent was set up, it was dusk. 

the waterfall

The view from inside the cave

Home for the night

 I walked to the waterfall in the dark to get water for cooking and drinking. I cooked some packaged fettuccine alfredo that looked a lot better on the package image than it tasted, drank the beers I had bought in Nan'ao and watched the moon rise over the ocean. There was a rock next to my tent that was perfect for sitting on. At first the moon was huge and reddish-orange and looked almost like the sun but as it rose it became smaller and paler. I could see the lights of fishing vessels far out in the water. 

the moon over the ocean

I had internet reception and messaged my wife and some friends but later I could not get online and the connection was not restored until I got closer to the road the next morning. I think I went to sleep around 8:30 pm. 

It was so hot in the tent that at first I felt sweat streaming down my body. I took the rain fly halfway off the tent and that was a little better but it was still a hot night.

I woke up a few times. Once when I woke the sky was full of stars and it was bright enough in the moonlight to see without my headlamp. Around 3:00 it got cloudy and I was afraid it might rain by morning but it cleared up later. I slept fitfully and finally got up around 5. Taking my time, I started making coffee and breakfast. 

Early the morning two men passed by on foot but I don't think they even saw me. 

A group of four people in an SUV came to see the cave but they did not talk to me and did not stay long. 

By 7 am I was packed up and set off for the walk back to the train station. 

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Map and GPS coordinates:

Nan'ao Sea Cave: 24.401429, 121.789143

Google maps link for the waterfall

Google maps link for  Dongyue Cold Spring